Did you see it? Did you? Remember when either you were little or your children were and you would play that little game to keep them from falling asleep – usually during a car ride when you were close to your destination and sleepy kids was not an option.

Evidently at 1:14 a.m. this morning, E.D.T. the sun was directly over the equator, marking the vernal equinox. Did you see it? Yeah, neither did I. Could be the darkness, hard to see the sun with all that pitch black out there. Or maybe, if you were lucky, you were sleeping. I was, but I’m not anymore.

Vernal Equinox marks the first day of spring. Did you know that Easter always falls on the First Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox? Nope, neither did I – learn something new everyday.

Another interesting fact for you — this is the earliest spring in over a 100 years. The last time spring was this early was 1896. In the Pacific and Mountain time zones, the first day was spring was really yesterday, since the vernal equinox took place before midnight for them. See, you missed it.

In any event, enjoy the spring. Here in Vermont we are supposed to have a beautiful day with temperatures hitting the 70s — maybe, just maybe it will help dry out the mud.

Welcome to Spring — or as we call it here on the dirt roads — Mud Season.

Today marks the day that day and night are roughly equal in length. It is the vernal equinox, where the sun was directly over the equator. The result is that the length of time that we are exposed to daylight and then night are equal, or roughly equal, in length. The actual equinox, where the sun is directly over the equator will occur at 1:32 p.m. here in the Eastern Daylight zone.

There is a rumor that during the vernal equinox you can stand an egg on end, however, that has pretty much been disproven, since with time and patience, one can stand an egg on end at any time during the year, not just during the equinox. There is evidently no special gravity present during this time that would account for an egg’s ability to stand on end … or dance… or do anything special.

Vernal equinox marks the first day of spring. A rebirth of the earth, a time that Mother Nature shakes off winter like a bear coming out of hibernation and shrugging off the sleepiness of winter.

There are many different celebrations and many of the holidays that we know are set around the equinox. Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox.

World Storytelling Day, preserving the art of oral storytelling is celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox or March 20th this year. It is celebrated all over the world on this day and originated in Sweden in 1991. It is a day to tell stories and promote the art of storytelling, one of the most ancient of all art forms. Go ahead, share some stories today – Happy Spring! (By the way, we STILL have snow here.)